So here's the story of my old stuff. It behooves me to say that I'm blessed with an extremely generous family, who's helped me get on my feet in a variety of ways. Stuff is just stuff, sure, but everything comes with a story.

In 2012, I learned a lot more about value than I did about money—the value of my family, the value of friendship, and the value of making the best of what you've got.

The "sandwich generation" is not a generation that likes sandwiches (that's pretty much every generation), but a generation of older working adults who are supporting both their adult children and their parents.

"God damn it, Charlie, go upstairs and take a shower!" were my Dad's first words to his half-brother when he arrived at our home on Thanksgiving Day, 2004.

When your parents are divorced, you want to make everything as smooth as possible.

There is a very interesting bit of research in the Times about which children mothers prefer to care for them in their old age.